Brutus on the beach: Goa's political castles crumble when CM travels abroad

IANS|

Mar 06, 2018, 04.20 PM IST

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In the Chief Minister's absence, a three-member Ministerial Committee has been named to look after the daily governance needs.

Known for its sunny beaches, Goa, which saw 13 Chief Ministers in 10 years through the turbulent 1990s, also has a reputation for its politically treacherous shifting sands.

The coastal state has been, in the past, particularly harsh on two Chief Ministers -- both heading rickety coalition governments -- who left the country's shores on short visits, only to find their castles pulverised into the sand on their return.

Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who left for Mumbai on Monday and is likely to travel soon to the US for treatment of his mysterious ailment, should know.

In the Chief Minister's absence, a three-member Ministerial Committee --headed by a BJP Minister and having a Minister each from alliance partners Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party and Goa Forward -- has been named to look after the daily governance needs.

Both the MGP and Goa Forward have fought a bitter election campaign against the BJP in the lead up to the February 2017 polls.

In October 2000, Parrikar, whose Bharatiya Janata Party was a partner with 10 MLAs, including three Cabinet Ministers, in a coalition government led by the Goan People's Party, had pulled the rug from under the feet of then Congress rebel and Chief Minister Francisco Sardinha's 11-month-old government, when the latter was officially touring Australia soliciting tourism operators from Down Under.

By the time Sardinha came back to Goa, his "holiday" had only begun, with Parrikar ousting him from power to become Chief Minister and installing the first ever BJP-led coalition government in the coastal state.

Now 72, the gregarious Sardinha, who is known for his full-hearted laugh, scoffs off the betrayal as a failed test of trust and fate.